Students may think telling little white lies is harmless, but as Bull says, they are the most commonplace forms of cheating. "It's fair to say that more than half of students have cheated, even if only in some quite small way," he estimates.

We're interested to hear your experiences, from stories of sick relatives and hungry pets to more shameless white lies and elaborate tale-telling. Are student excuses for lost or uncompleted work moving with the times and should these incidents be labelled as cheating alongside plagiarism and examination fraud? Share your anecdotes in the comments section below: how have students tried to pull the wool over your eyes and how, in turn, have you pulled the rug from under their feet? Remember to keep all examples anonymous.